STATE/EAST/ALLEGHENY COUNTY/SOUTH [Derived Headline]

STATE/EAST/ALLEGHENY COUNTY/SOUTH [Derived Headline]

Article excerpt

STATE

Towns get expedited hearing in suit against state shale law

The seven municipalities challenging the state's new law
governing natural gas drilling activities will get their day in
court next week, after the Commonwealth Court on Wednesday granted
their request for an expedited hearing.

Appellate judges will hear arguments on April 11 at 10 a.m.,
which falls three days before the bulk of the statute goes into
effect.

The order granting the speedy hearing also included a brief
disclosure from the assigned judge, who holds a minority interest in
some real estate involving mineral deposits and in a limited
partnership that develops oil and gas rights.

The municipalities -- Cecil, Peters, Mount Pleasant and Robinson
in Washington County, South Fayette in Allegheny County and Yardley
and Nockamixon townships in Bucks County -- involved in the suit
objected primarily to the law's restriction on local zoning rules,
which would require them to rewrite their ordinances.

The lawsuit argues that standardizing zoning rules for gas
drilling is an "improper and arbitrary" use of state power.
Officials claim it hinders their ability to adequately protect
residents and to structure equitable zoning rules.

In addition to the zoning provision, the new state law also
allows counties to impose a per-well fee on drillers and strengthens
some environmental regulations.

EAST

Pentagon official confirms no Flight 93 remains at landfill

No passenger remains from United Flight 93, which crashed in
Shanksville, Somerset County on 9/11, were disposed of in a
landfill, a top Pentagon official confirmed Wednesday.

All 93 specimens sent to the Armed Forces' DNA Identification
Laboratory for testing were returned to Somerset County Coroner
Wallace Miller in 2005, according to Jo Ann Rooney, undersecretary
of defense for personnel and readiness.

Ms. Rooney provided that confirmation to Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.,
who asked the Department of Defense to confirm that no remains from
the Shanksville crash site were sent to a landfill. His inquiry came
after a February Washington Post story about an Air Force report
that said small amounts of unidentified remains from Flight 93 were
cremated and then sent to a landfill. …